Book of Mark – Hazelnut Notes

Daily office commentary, Mark 12:28-34; living the most important commandments through proper use of our religions

August 23, 2019 Benjamin Knoll

28 One of the religion scholars came up. Hearing the lively exchanges of question and answer and seeing how sharp Jesus was in his answers, he

Daily office commentary, Mark 11:15-18; Jesus as a “religious populist”?

August 20, 2019 Benjamin Knoll

“So now this is something I am sitting with: I simultaneously applaud Jesus for giving a black eye to the religious elites who were seeking to control and economically exploit their people… while also firmly of the opinion that politicians who make populism central to their rhetoric and politics are dangerous to the health and vibrancy of a liberal democratic political system.” #dailyoffice

Daily office commentary, Mark 9:33-37; keeping the need for structure and organization in proper perspective

August 10, 2019 Benjamin Knoll

“Jesus seems to me to be saying: sure, structure and hierarchy can be useful, but how about we spend our time focusing on loving and serving others instead of arguing over who gets to call the shots.” #dailyoffice

Daily office commentary, Mark 4:35-38; calmness of mind in stressful situations

July 25, 2019 Benjamin Knoll

What stands out to me here is how calm Jesus seems to be, even to the point of being slightly annoyed with his friends for freaking out about the storm. To use psychology terms, he was able to suppress his amygdala anxiety threat response which allowed his prefrontal cortex to stay online and deal with the situation with all his “thinking cylinders” firing.

Daily office commentary, Mark 4:3-32; the generous abundance of the Kingdom

July 24, 2019 Benjamin Knoll

Many theological stories and images may lead one to think that God is “stingy,” withholding blessings and love on conditions of righteousness, behavioral rectitude, and moral purity, Here, though, Jesus teaches us that the Kingdom is just the opposite.

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